KENSINGTON, P.E.I. — Chester Banks’ eyes lit up as he gazed back at the red soil of his beloved Island and ticked the mission off his to-do list.

The P.E.I. native celebrated his 101st birthday Tuesday by travelling across the Confederation Bridge — something he had never done before.

Banks was given the chance after staff at the Kensington care home where he is a resident asked last year if there was anything he hadn’t yet done in his long life.

The Second World War veteran — who wasn’t initially a fan of the sprawling bridge — mentioned a trip across the span, prompting staff to start making plans.

Banks, who put on his felt hat before getting into a rented limousine for the two-hour excursion, says the experience was “just out of this world.”

Carol Evans, activity director at the Kensington Community Care Home, says Banks hadn’t been outside the complex for a year and was wide-eyed as he looked out at the yellow fields of canola and view of the Island from atop the bridge.